Test yourself: Last goodbye

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Read the following story by Kanin Srimaneekulroj from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.

October 5 saw the end of the period where citizens were allowed to pay respects to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej inside the Grand Palace.

WILLING TO WAIT

The lines of people dressed in black stretched for several kilometres. In one direction, the queue of mourners went from the entrance of the Grand Palace, down along Sanam Luang and further down Ratchadamnoen Klang, past the Democracy Monument until it finally ended around Ratchanadda Temple near Pan Fah Bridge. In the other direction, the queue went towards Ror Dor Junction. Waiting times were as long as ten hours.

MOURNING PERIOD

Midnight on October 5 marked the end of the period in which citizens were allowed to pay respects to the late King ahead of the royal cremation on October 26. The October 5 deadline was extended from September 30. The Bureau of the Royal Household reported that the number of visitors was as many as 65,000 per day.

Immediately after the King’s passing on October 13 last year, the Bureau of the Royal Household — along with various government agencies and public businesses — arranged a number of ways in which citizens could express their grief and gratitude. According to statistics published by the bureau, more than 10.5 million citizens took part in mourning activities such as signature collection, alms giving and praying, between October 14 and 28, 2016.

Since the gates of the Grand Palace were opened on October 29 last year, it is estimated that the total number of visitors coming to pay respects has been close to 12 million. According to reports, there were citizens who queued more than ten times. In some cases, people spent hours in the queue, went inside to pay their respects and then went back to queue again.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

To get an idea of the atmosphere around Sanam Luang, as well as the thoughts and feelings of those waiting to pay their respects, we spoke with several Dusit Palace visitors about their experiences.

“We’ve been here giving out free food and drinks since early this morning. My friends and I went inside to pay our respects when they first allowed people in. Since then, we’ve been coming back every couple of days. We thought we’d give other people their chance to pay respects, so we haven’t tried to go back in. Some people have had to wait as long as 12 hours,” said Thanchanok Suthisassanakuk, 43, from Samut Sakhon.

“This is our 23rd trip to Sanam Luang since last year. We own a small store, so we’re not able to be here every day. But we would if we could,” said Suwan Aanghirun (60) and Sangjan Aanghirun (56) from Rangsit, Bangkok.

“This is our ninth or 10th time here. We first came last year when they had just opened the palace. It warms my heart to see so many people pitching in and doing their part for their fellow Thais. I’m sure the late King would feel the same.” said Pratuang Ruang-samut, 63, from Din Daeng, Bangkok.

SECTION 1

Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.

1. When was the last day that people were allowed to pay respects to the late King?

a. September 30.b. October 5. c. October 26.

2. According to the Bureau of the Royal Household, how many visitors were there each day?

a. Up to 65,000.b. Over 10.5 million.c. Nearly 12 million.

3. When did the Bureau of the Royal Household begin allowing people into the Grand Palace to pay their respects?

a. October 13, 2016.b. Between October 14 and 28, 2016.c. October 29, 2016.

4. According to the article, how long have some visitors had to wait to get in?

a. Several kilometres.b. More than ten times.c. Around 12 hours.

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?

a. Thanchanok lives in Rangsit.b. Thanchanok came with her family to pay respects to the late King.c. Thanchanok is in her forties.

6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?

a. Suwan and Sangjan came to Sanam Luang every day. b. Suwan and Sangjan are shop owners.c. Suwan and Sangjan are both in their sixties.

7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?

a. Pratuang has been to Sanam Luang 23 times. b. Pratuang thinks that the late King would be moved by all the people coming to pay respects.c. Pratuang is from Bangkok.

SECTION 2

Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.

8. mark

a. a person who attends a funeral or publicly expresses sadness for somebody who has died

9. mourner

b. the feeling of being thankful and wanting to express your thanks

10. gratitude

c. the feeling or mood that you have in a particular place or situation

11. alms

d. to join in and help with an activity, by doing some of the work or by giving money or advice

12.atmosphere

e. money, clothes and food that are given to poor people

13. pitch in

f. to celebrate or officially remember an event that you consider to be important

SECTION 3

Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.

Boontun Chingchai, 58, from Sisaket said, “…..14….., I’d like the opportunity to drive into Bangkok again to pay my respects, but I’ll most likely just participate …..15….. activities in my province. …..16….. to Bangkok can be quite expensive, so we probably won’t be able to come back again soon. …..17….. having the opportunity to be here now, to witness the depths of love we all …..18….. for our King, is something I’ll take pride in for the rest …..19….. my life.”

14.

a. Ideal b. Ideally c. Idealistic

15.

a. for b. with c. in

16.

a. Comingb. Come c. Came

17.

a. Simple b. Simply c. Simplify

18.

a. feeling b. feel c. to feel

19.

a. in b. on c. of

SECTION 4

Rearrange the following groups of words to form grammatically correct sentences in the space provided.

20. did/When/you/in/Sanam Luang/arrive/?

………………………………………………………………………..

21. always/We/get/lot/food/of/a/to/take/home

………………………………………………………………………..

22. What/the/time/you/do/did/pass/to/?

………………………………………………………………………..

23. many/times/How/respects/your/have/pay/come/you/to/?

………………………………………………………………………..

24. I/and/family/drove/from/night/last/My/Sisaket

………………………………………………………………………..

Answers

Section 1

1. b.2. a.3. c.4. c.5. c.6. b.7. a.

Section 2

8. f.9. a.10. b.11. e.12. c.13. d.

Section 3

14. b.15. c.16. a.17. b.18. b.19. c.

Section 4

20. When did you arrive in Sanam Luang?21. We always get a lot of food to take home.22. What did you do to pass the time?23. How many times have you come to pay your respects?24. My family and I drove from Sisaket last night.